PALM CITY, Fla. – The Old Dominion men's golf team started its spring slate of tournaments with a top-five finish, placing fourth at the Martin Downs Collegiate with a collective score of 855 after three rounds at Martin Downs Golf Club's Osprey Course.
After starting out strong with a first-round score of 277, the Monarchs put up back-to-back scores of 289 to settle into fourth place at 9-under par.
"We played very well the first day and just okay the last two rounds," head coach Murray Rudisill said after the tournament. "The wind was blowing very hard the last two rounds and we did not handle it well.
"A fourth-place finish is pretty good considering it's our first tournament of the spring," Rudisill continued. "I was very proud of Gus and Carter and their performances all three days."
Junior Gustav Fransson found himself among the leaders all weekend, starting with a 6-under 66 after the first 18 holes. He shot an even 72 in round two and entered the third round tied for ninth place. The Umea, Sweden native finished his final 18 holes with a 3-under 69 after collecting six birdies, settling him into sixth place for the tournament, his third consecutive top-10 finish, dating back to the fall season.
Senior Carter Morgan also shot 3-under par in the third round of action on Sunday, his lowest score of the weekend. He came into play today in a tie for 18th after back-to-back 71s to start the tournament, but his third-round 69 bumped him up into a tie for 11th with a 5-under. Morgan was the only Monarch to shoot under par in all three rounds.
Fransson and Morgan were the only members of ODU's men's golf team to shoot below the par-72 mark in the third round. Junior Chris Ayers struggled on Friday and Saturday, but finished the tournament with his best round, shooting a 2-over 74 on Sunday.
Filip Wetterqvist collected his third eagle of the tournament on Sunday, tied for the most on the weekend, but the Monarch freshman couldn't find consistency in his play for the second round in a row. He finished round three with four birdies, but also with two triple bogeys and one double bogey for a 77, his worst outing of the tournament. Wetterqvist finished 4-over par and in a tie for 38th.
Rasmus Konradsson also struggled while battling the windy course on Sunday, coming into the clubhouse with a 78 on the day, putting him in a tie for 43rd in the field of 94 golfers. ODU senior Doug Rios-Ceballos, who golfed independently this weekend shot a 7-over 79 in the final round, placing him in a tie for 57th.
The Monarchs finished the tournament with the most eagles with six, half coming from Wetterqvist. They also placed tied for third in total birdies with South Dakota with 62 in the three days.
ODU came into the third round in fifth place, but managed to jump South Dakota and end up in the four-spot. Host UNC Greensboro won the tournament for the second year in a row with a three-round total of 823. No. 49 James Madison placed second, five strokes behind the Spartans, while Samford rounded out the top-three, just two strokes ahead of the Monarchs with 853.
On the player leaderboard, UNCG took two of the top-three spots, as Zach Swanson beat out his teammate and No. 8 Jonathan Brightwell by one stroke, winning the tournament with a 16-under par. JMU's George Heath placed third with an 11-under, just two strokes better than Fransson in sixth.
The Monarchs will hit the links again on March 6-8 when they compete in the Pinehurst Intercollegiate in Pinehurst, N.C.
6. Gustav Fransson – 66 - 72 - 69 - 207 (-9)
T11. Carter Morgan – 71 - 71 - 69 - 211 (-5)
T38. Filip Wetterqvist – 68 - 75 - 77 - 220 (+4)
T43. Rasmus Konradsson – 72 - 71 - 78 - 221 (+5)
T57. Doug Rios-Ceballos – 70 - 76 - 79 - 225 (+9) *
T77. Chris Ayers – 79 - 81 - 74 - 234 (+18)
*Golfing Independently
Team Scores
1. UNC Greensboro – 823 (-41)
2. No. 49 James Madison – 828 (-36)
3. Samford– 853 (-11)
4. Old Dominion – 855 (-9)
5. Elon– 856 (-8)
6. South Dakota – 865 (+1)
7. Drexel – 869 (+5)
8. Appalachian St. – 871 (+7)
9. Seton Hall – 876 (+12)
10. Lehigh – 894 (+30)
11. Purdue Fort Wayne - 898 (+34)
12. Bucknell - 906 (+42)
13. Holy Cross – 913 (+49)
14. Villanova - 916 (+52)
Fransson Leads Men's Golf to Fourth-Place Finish at Martin Downs Collegiate
Fransson placed sixth to lead ODU to a top-5 finish at the Martin Downs Collegiate